From the NWUU to the AUW: An Attempt at Emancipation In Krytyka, No. 1, 1997, pp. 24–27.

Mykola Riabchuk's article is a critical reflection on the paradoxical phenomenon of the post-Soviet transformation of the The National Writers' Union of Ukraine (NWUU), whose structure has remained virtually unchanged since the radical socio-political transformations of 1991. The author raises the issue of preserving the “Soviet” content of cultural institutions under conditions of formal independence.  This manifests itself in the simulation of unity, the use of outdated political rhetoric, and the absence of a genuine institutional reorientation toward new values and approaches.As an alternative to this status quo, the Association of Ukrainian Writers (AUW) emerges, oriented toward openness, horizontal connections, and genuine cultural autonomy. The text also addresses a deeper problem: the passivity of the citizen in post-Soviet society, which hinders the development of authentic civic dialogue. This publication also brings into focus the role of cultural institutions in a time of «unfinished revolution» – situated between decommunization, decolonization, and cultural modernization.